Personal Belief System and Reading Models
Upon taking the reading belief system quiz, I discovered that I ascribe to a more top-down model of reading. The top-down model “assumes that the process of translating print to meaning begins with the reader’s prior knowledge” (Vacca et al., 2015). In other words, students use their prior knowledge to make educated guesses about the meaning of a text and largely engage in meaningful reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities (Vacca et al., 2015). I believe that when students can make a personal connection with a text or subject matter, they are more invested in continuing to develop their skillset in that area. Furthermore, when students are engaged in activities and project-based learning, they can learn while doing rather than passively listening to a lecture. The most telling question on the reading belief system quiz was number six because it asked me to rank the typical steps of a directed reading activity by level of importance. I placed motivation and reading as my top two, far above skill practice and vocabulary, which I placed at the bottom. While I aspire to develop an integrated model of instruction, I lean towards the top-down model because it emphasizes the “why” behind vocabulary acquisition by surrounding it in context rather than rote memorization. Thus, the top-down approach aligns with my values of student autonomy and purpose-filled learning. I grew up speaking Spanish at home and English at school. I quickly learned that English is the language of access to educational and economic advancement. I wished that teachers would have explained that language is culturally-bound and contextual because there were many cultural references in different texts I read or literary assignments for school that did not make sense to me. For example, in sixth grade, my English teacher asked me to go home and ask my parents for idioms that we could discuss in class. I had no idea what idioms were. Once I understood and spoke with my parents, they only knew idioms in Spanish, which did not translate correctly in English. I felt embarrassed because I thought I did the assignment wrong. I now view my ability to navigate two languages and cultures as an incredible asset and I treat my students’ backgrounds with the same respect. Students have a wealth of information to draw from to form connections with their learning. Cognates in English and Spanish, for example, are great resources for ELL students that draws from their native language. In my current role as the College and Career Resource Center Assistant at a suburban high school, I teach students various forms of literacy through the college application process. This includes financial literacy, professional email correspondence, college and scholarship applications, and navigating college websites. This year, I started a club for first-generation college-bound students in which I first spent a lot of time building trust with students. I learned about their families and found that many of their parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. Others were undocumented and did not think college was a possibility for them. Students expressed how much attaining a college degree would mean to them and their family, the pressure they felt to succeed, and the fear of disappointing their family if they failed. As a first-generation college graduate myself, I understood first-hand what they described. This allowed me to connect and build trust with students and emphasize the importance to stay motivated throughout the process. This is a great example of a top-down approach because I began with the student’s prior knowledge in mind. Once they felt more comfortable, I scaffolded the college search process and introduced common terms they would encounter throughout the application process, such as “transcript”, “undergraduate”, and “Expected Family Contribution (EFC)”. In one vocabulary activity, I asked them to make an analogy or write a personal definition for a term. One student compared an application fee waiver to a coupon. This allowed her to see it as something more familiar and more easily remember the term later on. By asking students to rely on their prior knowledge and make connections to the new term, they are more likely to remember its meaning next time they see it. References Vacca, J. A., Vacca, R. T., Gove, M. K., Burkey, L. C., Lenhart, L. A., & McKeon, C. A. (2015). Reading and Learning to Read. Boston: Pearson.